Author/Illustrator: Keith Graves
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Ages: 4 to 8 years old
Source: Publisher for Review
Rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Description from GoodReads:
On a teeny little farm, in an itty-bitty coop, a very small hen laid a big, giant egg. And out of this egg came one big, humongous . . . something. "It's big!" clucked the little rooster. "It's enormous!" clucked the small chicken. "It's an elephant!" peeped the smallest chicken. "Run for your lives!" they cried. No matter how they try, these clueless chickens can't make sense of the gigantic new member of their family—until he saves the day. With wacky, laugh-out- loud humor and silliness to spare, this BIG twist on the classic Chicken Little story lends a whole new perspective to what it means to be chicken.
I love books that you have fun with right from the beginning. I also really appreciate books that children will enjoy but additionally has a level of humor that adults can appreciate. Keith Graves' Chicken Big meets both of those criteria for me.
Chicken Big is a twist on the classic Chicken Little story. In the beginning, we are introduced to a very small hen who has laid a humongous egg and from the egg a humongous chick pops out. The odd collection of chickens and the lone rooster attempts to identify this strange being while the smallest and "not the sharpest beak in the flock" yells out odd responses.
The humongous chick with his dry wit, along side the easily frenzied chickens led by the smallest chick's dire predictions produces a story that is entertaining and even educational. Each page, the chickens try to decipher what this creature is. Done through a series of observations, statements and guesses, the gang continues to guess wrong. The chick is forced numerous times to rescue this clueless gang until finally when rescuing them one last time realization hits and they recognize him for what he truly is.
Graves has created a story that will delight readers of all ages. Zany illustrations support visually interesting text. I loved the detail in the pictures and especially loved the facial expressions given to all of the chickens including the over-sized chick. This is a book that I eagerly look forward to sharing as a read aloud in many of the classes at my school. I can see both Kinders and Fifth graders both getting a laugh out of this tale.
